Landmark timepiece up and ticking again at Dersingham

The time has finally come for a landmark tower clock at Dersingham to tick again.

After being boarded over for six years after it stopped working, the timepiece at Hanover Court housing development was reinstated this week and is ticking along nicely again, thanks to the efforts of a group of the residents.

They launched a fundraising campaign early last year hoping to have the communal clock restored and brought back to life.

Retirement homes residents Anthony Barratt, Jacqui Cotterell and their neighbours at Hanover Court got together to raise as much money as possible.

Mrs Cotterell staged an exhibition and sale of her late husband Ian's art work and went on to donate his watch collection as top prize in a raffle at a later social afternoon. Proceeds from events and donations brought in £1593 and Anchor Housing which runs Hanover Court has made up the shortfall of the £2500 needed.

Last week the residents were able to watch as the boarding was removed and the clock reinstated and working again. The work was carried out by Michlmayr Clock and Watchmakers, a Norwich company which deals with all of the clocks at the Sandringham estate.

The only delay has been in completing the gold leafing on the weather vane which has to wait until warmer weather.

Mrs Cotterell said: “We think it looks stunning. It was very sad to see it boarded up."

The clock has been at Hanover Court since the housing development was opened by The Queen in January 1981 but it stopped working five or six years ago and was then boarded over.Hanover Housing originally developed the site and The Queen officially opened it. She went on to pay several more visits over the years.

Reports in the Lynn News from that time stated that The Queen made a donation of £5,000 to the housing project and that the Duke of Edinburgh contributed the clock on the top of the communal hall.